"I Have a Whole Armada of Ships That No One Approves Of"

After a recent discussion with a friend of mine (or series of discussion; she and I butt heads often) I have come to realize that many of my "ships" (relationships, for those of you not in the know. A fandom term. A better definition here) are not universally accepted. In fact, only a few of them are actually liked. Perhaps if I give you a list and a description of each, you'll understand.

First fandom: Sherlock
I ship the requisite Johnlock, I mean, how can you not? The ship fuels itself, but I also ship Sherlock/Moriarty, which is one that not many people ship. I find this a bit sad, because they are clearly made for each other. But perhaps the reason I ship it is because I enjoy mutually-destructive relationships. I mean, what good can really come from have a high-functioning sociopath and high-functioning psychopath in a relationship together? Probably nothing, but some really good fights.

"Nemesis" by Montya on DeviantArt

Fandom: Marvel/Avengers
This is the one my friend and I fight about often. She ships Steve/Tony big time, and I just can't get it. I feel like Steve is just too All-American boy scout to be gay, even for Tony. However, I personally ship Tony/Loki. I mean seriously, think about it. Tony is a manipulative, charming playboy who feels that no one is really worth his time, and Loki is a hot-headed god who also feels that no one is worth his time. When they meet each other, they've both just found the one person who doesn't kowtow to them based on reputation alone. Neither one really respects the other, and so their competitive nature comes out. When Loki finds someone who doesn't grovel he feels the need to break them, but Tony won't be broken, and vice versa. I feel that this relationship is actually a good one, because they come in as equals who don't respect each other, and over time they do. So basically Tony/Loki for the win.

FrostIron - Morning Sunshine by AlexZoe on DeviantArt

"Tony x Loki" by Cheezah on DeviantArt

Fandom: Supernatural
Here's the big one. I ship Wincest really hard. And I know that after the frist season came out, it was the biggest ship in the fandom, but seriously, who actually ships two brothers together (other than those weirdos who ship Thor/Loki. I just can't)? But I do, and it's the one ship that I pour the most time into. As one Tumblrer put it, "you start to ship Wincest, but you don't really think about it, and then Wincest comes in and takes over your life." And it really does. I used to be the world's biggest Johnlock shipper, until I got into Supernatural, and now all of my other ships are on the back burner because of Wincest. I write, I draw, I read... all Wincest. I haven't actually read a different slash pairing fanfic in months. Mmm, Wincest. Or as I like to put it:
Friend: "Remember, gay porn over incest!"
Me: "Or both, since I ship Wincest!"
Friend: "..."

"SPN+ Chaste kiss" by Leyla-Lovely on DeviantArt

At any rate, there are planty of ships I sail that others approve of, and so I won't be stopped by just a few "haters." So ship who you want and ship who you like, because... it makes you feel good (I just wanted to use those Nicki Minaj lines.)

Don't ever stop shipping!

Fangirling or How I Pretend to Be Sane

My friends who know me have grown accustomed to my unbelievable fangirling over minuscule things that pertain to the actors whose lives I follow with fervor. However, the one reason I’ve never pimped myself out as a hard-core fan is because I don’t want said individual celebrity, should they ever discover me and my depth of love for them, to think that I’m an absolute nutjob.

Because really, if I were a seriously famous actor (which I’m not nor will I ever be) and I found out that people followed my life and work with an attention to detail that would put a high-class forger to shame, I’d be creeped out. Flattered, but still. I mean, there’s a line, and I think that today’s fans, myself included, cross that boundary with alarming regularity. We, as a society, have so devoted ourselves to knowing things about people we’ve never met simply because they are in the public eye, which is odd. Besides appear in films, what have they ever actually done? But I digress.

Back to my original point, which was brought on by a blogger whose name need not be shared because it is irrelevant, is simply this: I think that being a rabid fan is ok, but stop forcing the entire world, those actors as well, to know about it. No matter how much the actors themselves insist that they are flattered by us, there are a few out there who need to show a little propriety.

Scale back on your attempts to contact them. Stop showing up everywhere they go. Quit taking creepy pictures of them when they’re just trying to get a cup of coffee. For God’s sake, leave their families alone if they don’t want to be in the limelight. Stop making the rest of fans, who don’t make it our life’s work to discover everything about this person, look like kooks.

Just a personal opinion. I’m not saying everyone is doing this, and I’m certainly not telling anyone to change their habits. Just… think about them.